Process of making metallic cans and articles produced



W. H. RICHMAN PROCESS OF MAKING METALLIC CANS AND ARTICLES PRODUCE! Filed ,Oct. 4, 1921 HG J Zhmrutnr: #414751? fiat/mm,

Patented Oct. 30, 1923.

PROCESS OF MAKING METALLIC CAN S AND ARTICLES YRODUGED.

Original application filed November 20, 1919, Serial No. 329,448. Divided and this application filed October 4, 1821. Serial No. 505,345.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VVALTER H. RICHMAN,

a citizen of the United States, and resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented .certain new and useful l'mprovements in Processes of Making Metallic Cans and Articles Produced, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the method of and means for producing containers of the type disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States 1,395,298 granted to me November 1, 1921 ursuant to application which this is a division.

My invention relates to sheet metal cans adapted for the transportation and storage of dairy products and particularly ice cream. Such cans are used by wholesalers to deliver such products to retailers, and are used by the latter to hold such products while they are being dispensed; the emptied cans being thereafter returned to the wholesalers to be refilled and again distributed. Consequently, such cans must be extremely durable to withstand the rough handling and stresses and wear to which they are inevitably sub jected. Moreover, as such containers are retained in salt ice water to preserve their contents, their bodies must be permanently liquid tight and, to prevent contamination of their contents, they must be adapted to be hermetically sealed by closures which can be instantly opened and shut and which may beopened to the full diameter of the cans, to facilitate dispensation of their contents. Furthermore, such containers should not have any crevices or joints which cannot be readily cleaned of every vestige of such products, by mechanical means, for such products readily and rapidly decompose.

Therefore, the object and effect of my invention is to produce cans having the characteristics above contemplated. Before my invention, it was customary to make ice cream cans of primarily fiat tinned sheets of iron or steel, such as is used for roofing. At first,

such cans were merely soldered at their' joints to hold the parts together. However, such cans were found to be so weak and lacking in durability that they were superseded by cans likewise formed of such preyiously tinned sheets but with the edges of Serial 329,446 filed November 20, 1919, of

the sheets lapped and riveted before they were soldered and with the crevices thus formed filled with solder. However, as the wear and salt water to which such cans are subjected as aforesaid, cause then to rapidly corrode and rust; endeavors were made to rctinthem. However, in order to properly tin or retiu any article, it must be sub merged in a molten bath of tin which is practically chemically pure. However, upon any attempt to submerge a soldered can in a pure tin bath, the solder, which is substantially half lead, is melted oil' and pollutes such tin bath, so as to render the latter unfit for subsequent usc. Therefore, attempts were made to prepare soldered cans for retinning by melting the solder from them before submergingr them in the tin bath. However, such procedure not only rendered the cost of rctinning prohibitive but it was found to be practically impossible to thus entirely eliminate the solder; so that the initially pure tin bath was polluted by the soldered cans even after such preliminary treatment.

Therefore, the purpose and effect of my invention is to produce a solder-less ice cream can having the other characteristics above described.

My invention includes the various novel. features of procedure and product hereinafter more definitely specified.

In the drawings; Fig. I is a vertical diamctrical sectional view of an ice cream can produced in accordance with my invention; a portion of the can body being broken away.

Fig. II is a fragmentary diametrical sectional -.view, showing the blank for the can bottom closure indicated in Fig. I; in the form in which it is produced by pressing a primarily plane sheet with dies.

Fi III is a fragmentary diametrical sectional view of such a bottom closure blank with a roller adapted to press and swage its upper annular corner to deform the latter.

Fig. IV shows the structure of Fig. I deformed by pressing and swaging its upper annular corner to an acute angle and substantially sharp edge, by said means shown in Fig. III.

Fig. V is a fragmentary radial sectional view of the can body with said bottom closure forced therein to a tight fit, and a roller adapted to spin the marginal flange of said closureover the outside of said body to the form shown in- Fig. l. v

Fig. Vi sllOWS the completion of the bot tom closure flange spinning operation.

In said figures; the body of the can 1 is made of a sheet of metal with the edges brought together and butt welded, forming a flush longitudinal seam 2. That is to say; the metal of said l- -dy l at said seam is sub stantially smooth both inside and outside of the can, so to cooperate with the bottom closure to make a joint without a crevice b the several steps hereinafter described. t may be observed that it would be impossible to make such a joint by the method herein contemplated if said body 1 were not thus produced in substantially circular seamless form.

In order to facilitate driving the bottom closure 8 into said body 1; I prefer to slightly flare the bottom edge of Said body, indicated at a in Fig. V. The bottom closure 3 said body 1 is formed by succcssive operations upon a suitable blank, which is a circular disk of primarily plane sheet metal. Said blank is pressed by suitable dies 6 to the form shown in Fig. ll wherein its upturned annular corner 7 is rounded-outwardly into the cylindrical side wall 8 of said closure, the outside diameter of which is so proportioned as to be driven into said body 1, to the extent limited by the transversely extending plane flange 10 at the bottom of said closure wall 8 However, such a. rounded corner would, of course, at ford a crevice in which the lacteal products aforesaid would lodge so that they could not be removed by the ordinary cleaning operation. Therefore, I proceed to deform said annular corner 7 by pressing and swaging the same to an acute angle with respect to the wall 8 and substantially sharp edge, conveniently by the means shown in ig. III, to wit, a spinning roller 11 which is caused to traverse said corner while said wall 8 is supported within the encircling die memher a. The efi'ect of that operation is to change the coniguration of said closure from that shown in 11 to that shown in Fig. IV, wherein the upper annular edge 12 of said bottom closure 3 is substantially sharp and circular.

Said bottom closure 3, in the form shown in Fig. 1V, is then forcibly thrust into aid body 1, to the position shown in Fig. V. In that operation, said substantially sharp edgi 12 scrapes the interior wall of said body 1 into a close tit therein and slightly expands said body s indicated in Fig. V.

Thcreupon. I prefer to subject said body 1 to pressing action 1;?) its exterior substantially opposite the point wh re said edge 1'. lies so that said body will i trucd up and forced in against the upstan ng ide wall 8 of said closure 5 and against said edge 12. Such pressure may be conveniently applied by the spinning roller Ll which, as indicated in Fig. VI. may also be used to upturn said primarily transvm'sely extending bottom closure flange 10 to the cylindrical form shown in Figs. I and VI. Although said flange may be body 1 tightly enough to be retained there on; I prefer to then spot weld said flange to said body.

Moreover, said upturned edge 12 may be treated locally by a tool inserted into the can after said bottom closure is pressed in position, said tool being adapted to spin, roll, stamp or press said edge 12 over to insure close contact with the wall of said body 1. Such spinning or other action may, at the same time, grind said edge 12 to facilitate its slight deformation to close lit.

llowever, the effect of the operations above contemplated is to form a. joint between said can body 1. and its bottom closure 5 such that the subsequent tinning operation will cover it and present a smooth surface on which none of the contents will lodge in such manner as to remain after the an is subjected to the ordinary cleaning process. Moreover, no solder is necessary at any point and hence when the primary coat of tin has worn oil, my improved can is susceptible of being retinned without any preliminary operation of removing solder.

Although l have illustrated my invention with reference to an ice crean can which is oi substantially uniform cylindrical configuration from the bottom to the open top thereof; it is to be understood that my invention may be applied to containers of other forms. Therefore. I do not desire to limit myself to the precise details of con struction, arrangement or procedure herein set forth, as it is obvious that various modifications may be made therein, without departing from the essential features of my invention. defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method ofniaking a solderless ice crcanr-can, which includes forming av cylindrical tubular can body by bending and butt welding opposite edges of a, primarily fiat sheet of metal; outwardly flaring the bottom end of said body; forming a bottom closure for said bodv b die ressin r a rimarily flatcircular disk of metal to ofi'set the central portion thereof, to render said central portion of concave-convex form with a cylindrical wall connected therewith by a rounded corner and merging into a plane marginal flange; deforming said bottom closure corner by pressing and swaging the same to an acute angle with respect to said wall and substantially sharp edge; forcing the offset. portion of said bottom closure into said lower end of said body to the expressed against the side of the i Lemme val). said closure; thereby id sharpened closure edge i l of said body; pressniwrdiy opposite to said upturning the flange closure the cylindrical lower 'ge of-s id body and pressing it inwardly s tact with said body; spot welding d closure dan e to said body; thereafter contemporaneou ly coating the outer and inner surfaces or said can by immersing it in a inolen tin bath.

2. The method of providing a cylindrical tubular container body with apermanent closure, which includes outwardly flaring the end of said body; firming a closure with a concave central pcrtion extending to a sabstantiailv sharp ci cuiar ed a in u relation wi' a cy indrical n fitting said closure int pressing said ion of said ciosur' said c osure flange outer cylini'lrical sue 3. The method of providing a cylindrical with a concave central portion extending to' a.- substantial-ly sharp circular edge in unitary relation with a cylindrical wall; drive fitting said closure into the flared end of said body; pressing said body inwardly at the region of said closure edge and welding said body to said closure.

i. The method of providing a cylindrical tubular container body with a permanent closure, which includes forming a closure with a concave central portion extending to a sharp acute angular edge; tightly fitting said closure in said body with its outer surface 'sg aced inwardly from the end of said body; welding said body tosaid closu and coating said body and closure inside and outside by immersing the structure in a molten metal bath" testimony whereof, I ailix my signature WALTER H. RICHMAN. 

